Batman: Damned #1

DC BLACK LABEL, the highly anticipated new imprint from DC Comics, starts here! The Joker is dead. There is no doubt about that. But whether Batman finally snapped his scrawny neck or some other sinister force in Gotham City did the deed is still a mystery. Problem is, Batman can't remember... and the more he digs into this labyrinthine case, the more his mind starts to doubt everything he's uncovering. So who better to set him straight than... John Constantine? Problem with that is as much as John loves a good mystery, he loves messing with people's heads even more. So with John's "help," the pair will delve into the sordid underbelly of Gotham as they race toward the mind-blowing truth of who murdered The Joker. BATMAN: DAMNED is a bimonthly super-natural horror story told by two of comics' greatest modern creators-a visceral thrill-ride that proudly puts the "black" in BLACK LABEL.more

I've always looked forward to any book that pairs Azzarello and Bermejo but this book is so far shaping up to be something special, a book that makes use of the lack of the usual restrictions to tell a unique story. The bar has been set very high for DC's Black Label. Read Full Review

The simplest way I can describe my take away from this story is that this is the single strongest comic, from any publisher, about any character, I have read this year. It is deeply remarkable and will be remembered in the conversation of one of the greatest Batman stories ever told. And it's barely started. Read Full Review

Azzarello and Bermejo are a dream team in darkness when it comes to Batman and his mythology. Batman: Damned is going to become a classic noir that will be a harrowing essential to this characters history. Im excited to find out what happened to Joker, how will this effect Batman and will he and his partner Constantine make it through this strange ordeal on his home turf. Read Full Review

Wow! What an issue! Azzarello creates a gripping rendition of the Batman who is experiencing his own personal hell with a large taint of the supernatural. So while characters are familiar, Batman is a little off because he is experiencing something that he has not experienced before which is his greatest weakness. So while the mystery is never answered, Azzarello is building up for something big and when matched with the amazing art of Bermejo, this comic is like a piece of art. Bermejo also channels a touch of Gothic Art which makes the story even more compelling and his characters are flawless representations of their tamer DCU counterparts. Read Full Review

If this is what we can expect from DC Black Label, sign me up for every book that's scheduled. Batman: Damned is a top-notch comic, providing something new for a character that's been around for decades and I'm not just talking about his junk. Batman must not only investigate the murder of his greatest enemy, but he has to rule himself out as a suspect. That's something he doesn't have enough evidence to do just yet, so the great detective soldiers on along a path of madness and the supernatural. Read Full Review

Controversy and subsequent censorship aside, the team of Azzarello, Bermejo, and Fletcher have come up with what can honesty be called a work of art featuring Batman. If future new works under the DC Black Label are even half this good, this line has a good future. Read Full Review

This was a great start to bothBatman: Damnedand DC's new Black Label. The writing was stellar and the art was gorgeous, which made this a near perfect comic book. My only complaint is that the placement and coloring of Constantine's narration made it hard to read in some panels. This is definitely one of DC's best books in a long time. Read Full Review

As the issue comes to a close, full of horrifying visuals and mysteries, it's clear that DC has a new line full of promise. If Black Label continues to explore the darker side of its heroes with this style and none of the cheap exploitation associated with many "mature readers" lines, DC could have something special here. Read Full Review

BATMAN: DAMNED #1 is an incredible opening salvo for DC's Black Label. While some of its nightmarish plot gets a bit confusing, the overall atmosphere, pacing, and art are absolutely incredible. Read Full Review

From the skilful writing to the truly award-worthy art this is masterful work. Give this a read because I have a feeling that we'll all be talking about this one for a long time to come. Read Full Review

Batman Damned is an incredibly solid start, it poses plenty of mystery but grounds that mystery into the streets of Gotham and Bermejo is about 90% of the reason this comic works like it does. It sets a tone, an approach, a style that rather than making you throw it up in the air calling balony, encourages you to cheer along with its madness, and hoping that the guy steering this particular bus has a clue where he's going. Read Full Review

The much referenced Bat-penis aside, there's a lot more to unpack in Batman: Damned. It hooks you from page one and doesn't let up until a visual gratifying, perfectly edgy final panel. Read Full Review

Published with a spine and a binding that feels more like a trade paperback than a single issue, you know DC is putting a lot of love into this Black Label series. Batman: Damned has all the makings to become a timeless classic. I’ve never read a Batman comic so close to equalling Batman: Year One. This issue comes pretty damn well close to it, if not for a few pages of narration. Azzarello and Bermejo have created something that could stand the test of time. Read Full Review

The writing style was phenomenal, but once a path is opened it could be more concrete. Even a broad path with many possibilities would help. I would love to see how each component introduced in this initial entry ties into the next one which comes out in November. This would push it away from the slight biographical stillness and towards a plot-centered format that used previous experiences and metaphors as tools for reader enlightenment. Read Full Review

You can see that this series is set in the traditional beginning, middle, and end format. Batman: Damned starts it off well, making me wish it were monthly. The one thing I was less than hot on was the magazine sized format, because when I saw that it was prestige format I thought it meant the old prestige. Still it's a beautiful book and well worth the price. If this is what Black Label will be offering, I think it'll put up solid numbers in sales, and breathe a little life into some comics that might need it. Read Full Review

DC releases dozens of Batman titles a year, and with that its easy to get lost in the shuffle. Batman: Damned will not be one of those lost, it easily stands out as a new and dramatic tale that thrusts the Dark Knight into a world he may know, but not understand fully, and that makes for an interesting take. Read Full Review

Final Verdict: 8.0 " "Damned" may protest a bit too much to it's edgy sensibilities, but below the surface is a well put together darkly beautiful book about a haunted man in a haunted world. Read Full Review

Batman: Damned #1 feels like the beginning of a much broader story. I'm at a loss as to how this can be satisfyingly wrapped-up in just two more issues, but as they say, I'm in for a penny (or $6.99, in this case). Read Full Review

As shown in a scene where he's crouching naked in front of a Batsuit (A page or so after the famous full frontal nudity.), Batman is definitely in pain throughoutBatman: Damned#1 as he spends the entire comic trying to retrace his steps and figure out if he's responsible for killing the Joker. Brian Azzarello's incessant John Constantine is both parts annoying and hilarious, insightful and overbearing, but Lee Bermejo's gorgeous image composition and aforementioned Gothic grit make the first DC Black Label book worth a read. Read Full Review

Overall, Batman: Damned (Book One), leaves you with an intriguing story but more questions than answers. Returning to the heart of the prestige format stories, Batman ushers in a wave of fresh air. Azzarello is a Gotham City poet and leaves you wanting more. Bermejo crafts art for the book that will haunt your dreams as it balances museum art with the realism of life. Great start and interested to see where they go. Read Full Review

This first issue of the series is a very strong start to what feels like is going to be one of the much darker arcs we've ever seen from Batman in a while. I gotta be honest with you readers, a little bit about me, I'm a HUGE metalhead. Not your hair band or hard rock type of stuff, death metal, blast beats pig squeals and a punch in the face. So I'm more than excited for this coming darkness, the art is a wonderful juxtaposing heretically biblical art with the Dark Knight was one of the smartest ideas ever. I'm a bit of a fanboy though. So go check it out. Read Full Review

This first issue of Batman: Damned, from a narrative perspective, over promises and under delivers in regards to DC's Black Label format. The artwork, on the other hand, is a gripping visual experience that is worth the price of admission and might have worked better as a silent film on the printed page. Read Full Review

Look, Brian Azzarello is a love him or hate him guy. If you're going to buy Batman: Damned, you were already going to do it, and if you're not than you weren't going to do it anyway. This book has great artwork but suffers from the try hard grittiness that plagues almost all of Azzarello's work. If it looks interesting, buy it but otherwise stay away, because, apart from the infamous Bat-Willy, it's a pretty dull book. Read Full Review

I was bored by this comic whose only reason to be special is the artwork and the pedigree of the writer Brian Azzarello. If it werent for these, the comic would not fare well with critics. Read Full Review

Lee Bermejo's art is great here, but there isn't much of a story (yet?) and what there is can be confusing and even boring. After the first fifty pages, we have a paper thin overall premise hiding behind some cool guest stars and again...that awesome art! This is an interesting start to the Black Label line, but not the slam dunk success I was hoping for. Read Full Review

Convoluted narration, Zatanna (presumably) as a street performer, homeless people speaking in mispelled homophones ("...with my own TOO eyes!" How does that even equate to a different phonetic emphasis?) all combine to make BATMAN: DAMNED a hot mess of a story written by Brian Azzarello,jumbled up among beautiful pictures rendered by Lee Bermejo. Read Full Review

Batman: Damned is not so much read as relished, enjoyed for individual elements that do not add up to a stronger whole. That level of craftsmanship affords it the label of interesting, even if it would not ordinarily be categorized as good. Read Full Review

The imprint's announcement stressed the idea of unique stories, only there's little ambition on display "" though there is a little full-frontal nudity "" just yet another story about The Joker and Batman. Read Full Review

Batman: Damned is representative of its creator's core talents. Unfortunately, this means that Bermejo's beautiful artwork is pretty wrapping paper disguising the revolting cow-pie of Azzarello's bleak, lifeless writing. In the end, this book is damned awful. Read Full Review

Coupled with missteps in the lettering stage, Batman: Damned feels like a misstep for DC's latest imprint, with this Black Label blotting out any originality in this overly bleak Elseworlds tale. Read Full Review

psycho batman is the only batman I like lol (see: White Knight as well). The writing was a little confusing, but that was also clearly the point. Art was amazing and enjoyed the first appearance of Batcock

i didn't have the highest expectations, but i did hope it'd to be better than this.
the art is really stunning. once again Lee Bermejo has to carry Azzarello's 'meh' writing.
without a good story to compliment the art this comic feels empty.

for the high price point, i'm not sure if it's even worth continuing with the single issues,
or if it's better to maybe wait for the trade?

Kudos to Bermejo. The art alone is more than worth the cost of this issue. Azzarello has laid the foundations for a psychological thriller. This is great graphic art storytelling. The only disappointment is that the reviews are fixated on a couple of panels that really did not need to be there. So stop fixating on Batman's penis and appreciate art and story that simply stand out in today's comic landscape.

Certainly an interesting book. It's essentially a crime/detective mystery setup which seamlessly blends with supernatural/magical elements of DC. Batman comics deems to be gritty and dark I guess this is a perfect use of Black Label. I think Bruce's childhood experiences were well written, Art is top notch it pulls you right into the world. Apart from that I don't know when the infamous John Constantine did a major in literature/philosophy, may be I don't know the character well enough. Be it for the sake of narration or something I can't help but wonder about the seriousness of it, now it doesn't necessarily mean I didn't like it.

Batman Damned is more atmosphere over anything else and my hope is that we buck the broken Batman trend and focus on the mystery. Bermejo's art is the real star of this book because it is nothing short of amazing from page to page. The way everyone is drawn is so rich with detail that this book should really be studied. However, the art alone is a 10 out of 10 but the story is really a 7 out of 10. Not much happens aside from setting up why we are here in the first place. Azzarello has a great light touch with saying what we are all thinking without saying it. Though Constantine just showing up took me out of the story and made me question why he would help in the first place.
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This is likely the perfect book to start Black label off. However, my hope is that we get other characters a series under this imprint soon because there is already enough Batman elseworld dark gritty story out there. Let's do this work with Black Lightning, Katana, Etrigan, Wonder Woman, Red Tornado, Cyborg, and Martian Manhunter (Can't wait till his solo mini-series starts). There is a lot potential to swing for the fences that can be done with more than the Trinity. I hope we get there soon. more

Yes it's another dark and grim Dark Knight story but it's a rather good one and the art truely elevates it to another level. It did take a while to find its groove and took off about halfway through the book. Having Constantine and the Dark side of DC Comics in the book is also a major bonus.

Beautiful art, but I'm not digging the narrative style Azzarello adopts here. There are some interesting aspects to it, like the astonishingly blasphemous and beautiful last few pages, but the overly vague voice-over from Constantine really didn't help throughout.

I didn’t care for this. I actually did not like the art, nor did I like the lettering. I had no idea what was even going on until I read an article on CBR. No way did I get from reading this that Batman was trying to solve Joker’s murder - at least from this first issue. I know coming into this series that Joker was dead through ads for it, but I actually had zero clue what the heck was going on. I’ll stick it out since only three issues.

I have truly conflicting feelings about this comic. It surely is a different kind of a Batman story, and one that looks absolutely phenomenal, but I can't say I fell in love with it from the first sight. The story, while pleasantly mysterious and dark, felt also somewhat disjointed and shattered. Maybe that's the idea, expressing Batman's apparent insanity, or maybe it's... unintentional. For now it's impossible to say, not knowing where everything leads. After all, it's not like Constantine tells us much - his commentary more often than not is progressing in its own tempo, and in its own direction.

One thing I can confidently say is the selling point of Damned, is its art. It's fantastic, and beautifully disgusting, or disgustingly beautiful, depending on panel. It surely is a showcase of Lee Bermejo's incredible artistry, but at the same time there's something off-putting about some character designs, especially Constantine, Zatanna and random girl hijacked by Dead Man.
On the other hand, panoramas and backgrounds are often breathtaking and very, very detailed, and that's what I've spent the most time looking at and contemplating.

This issue serves as a good start for this limited series. Good, but nothing more, at least to me in this particular place and time. Maybe it all will connect in the next two issues and create one, cohesive, yet convoluted story. It remains to be seen.more